The Government deploys the new election of trade union delegates and works councils

The Government of Andorra has approved Decree 349/2026, of September 16, 2026, which approves the Regulations for the administrative procedures of registration, deposit, and publicity of the results and development of the process for electing employee delegates and works councils. The regulation is published in the Official Bulletin of the Principality of Andorra (BOPA) no. 107, of September 23, 2026, in the Regulations section, and enters into force the day after its publication. The text implements the labor reform approved by Law 3/2026 and replaces the regulation in force since 2022.

The regulation develops Law 31/2018, of December 6, on labor relations, and adapts to the modifications introduced by Law 3/2026, of March 19, resulting from the agreement between business and trade union organizations within the framework of the Economic and Social Council. This reform generalizes the figure of the employee delegate to all companies with up to 30 workers, eliminates the figure of the employee with a mandate, and flexibilizes the constitution of works councils.

The decree, approved by the Government in the session of September 16, 2026, at the proposal of the Minister of Presidency, Economy, Labor, and Housing, bears the signature of the Head of Government, Xavier Espot Zamora. The repealing provision nullifies Decree 512/2022, of December 7, 2022, which regulated the same procedures.

Single delegate up to 30 workers and council scale

Employees of companies with up to 30 workers elect an employee delegate by free, personal, secret, and direct suffrage. From 31 employees onwards, a works council is constituted with the following number of members:

• From 31 to 49 employees: three members.
• From 50 to 99 employees: five members.
• From 100 to 199 employees: seven members.
• From 200 to 499 employees: nine members.
• More than 500 employees: eleven members.

If the necessary number of candidates is not reached, lists with fewer candidates may be presented, with a minimum of two components. The council maintains full operability with two members; otherwise, new elections must be called.

Who can promote elections and within what deadlines

The promotion of elections corresponds to:

• Employees gathered in an assembly, with the support of at least half plus one of the workers with the right to vote.
• Trade union organizations comprising at least 10% of the delegates or council members of a sectoral area.
• 10% of the employees with the right to vote, in writing and with signatures.
• The employer, following the procedures of articles 116 and following of Law 31/2018.
• The department in charge of labor, upon confidential request from 10% of the employees.

Notification must be made at least thirty calendar days in advance, and the electoral process must begin between one and three months after registration. The department has sixty calendar days to verify the requirements and communicate the promotion or dismiss it.

Electoral boards, voting, and registration of results

The company must establish one electoral board for every 150 employees with the right to vote, or fraction thereof, and for each electoral college: one for executives, technicians, and administrators, and another for the remaining employees. The board is constituted seven working days after the start of the process, and the electoral census is displayed on the notice board for a minimum of two working days.

The election is by open lists, the delegation of votes is prohibited, and early votes may be cast up until the day before the voting. The results must be published on the company’s notice board within the following 24 hours and registered with the department in charge of labor within a maximum of three business days; the registration of results is carried out within ten working days, and the deadline to challenge the minutes is ten working days. The use of official document templates, available on the department’s website, is mandatory.

The new regulation directly affects companies and workers in Andorra’s private sector, who will have to adapt their electoral processes to a framework that provides greater guarantees and more detailed deadlines. The generalization of the delegate to small companies expands collective representation to workforces that were previously excluded.

Source: Official Bulletin of the Principality of Andorra, no. 107, September 23, 2026, Regulations, pp. 1-9 (official reference: GR_2026_09_18_09_37_38).